Retention Manager

Posting date:	24 April 2026
Salary:	£75,328.00 to £86,114.00 per year
Additional salary information:	£75328.00 - £86114.00 a year
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	08 May 2026
Location:	London, N19 5NF
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	C9220-26-0261

Summary

Strengthen Workforce Retention Across All E&F Staff Groups Lead the development and implementation of a directoratewide retention framework that reduces turnover, improves stability, and ensures E&F services have the skilled workforce required to deliver safe, effective, and resilient operations. Develop a Comprehensive People & Culture Strategy for E&F Create and deliver a multiyear strategy that aligns with national NHS People Plan priorities, ensuring E&F workforce needs are fully represented in Trustwide planning and decisionmaking. Enhance Learning, Development & Career Pathways Design and oversee a tailored learning and development strategy that supports technical competence, leadership capability, and clear career progression routes, including apprenticeships, professional accreditation, and internal mobility. Advance Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Across the Directorate Embed inclusive practices into all people processes, address inequalities in experience and progression, and ensure E&F becomes a workplace where all staff feel valued, respected, and able to thrive. Lead a Holistic Wellbeing & Psychological Safety Programme Develop and deliver a wellbeing offer that meets the needs of a diverse, shiftbased, and operational workforce, promoting physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing and reducing workplace stressors. Drive Cultural Transformation and Leadership Development Shape a positive, compassionate, and collaborative culture by supporting leaders to model inclusive behaviours, strengthen team cohesion, and embed valuesbased leadership across all E&F teams. Provide Strategic Workforce Intelligence & Insight Use data, analytics, and workforce modelling to identify risks, forecast future needs, and inform strategic decisionmaking, ensuring the directorate is prepared for emerging workforce challenges. Strengthen Staff Voice, Engagement & Organisational Belonging Develop robust mechanisms for listening to staff, acting on feedback, and building a culture of recognition, involvement, and prideensuring E&F staff feel heard, supported, and connected to the wider organisation. Key Responsibilities Human Resource Strategy Support (Strategic Workforce Leadership) Lead the development of a directoratewide People & Retention Strategy aligned to Trustwide HR and OD priorities, ensuring E&F workforce needs are fully represented at organisational level. Act as the senior advisor to the Director of Estates & Facilities on all peoplerelated risks, opportunities, and strategic decisions. Provide highlevel workforce intelligence, including predictive analytics, modelling, and scenario planning to support longterm workforce sustainability. Influence Trustwide HR policy development by representing E&F needs in committees, working groups, and strategic forums. Lead crossdirectorate programmes that address systemic workforce challenges such as recruitment pipelines, sickness management, skills shortages, succession planning, employee performance and leadership capability. Ensure peoplerelated strategies reflect the operational realities of technical, engineering, facilities, and support services roles. Retention of Existing Staff (SystemLevel Retention Leadership) Design and lead a comprehensive retention framework that addresses the full employee lifecycle, from onboarding to career progression and exit. Oversee the development of targeted retention interventions for hardtorecruit and highturnover roles, using datadriven insights and staff feedback. Establish directoratewide standards for induction, supervision, recognition, and career conversations to ensure consistency and quality of experience. Lead the creation of innovative retention initiatives such as internal mobility pathways, flexible working models, enhanced recognition schemes, and tailored benefits for E&F staff. Provide expert guidance to senior managers on addressing cultural, behavioural, and leadership factors that contribute to turnover. Commission and oversee deepdive reviews into hotspots of attrition, ensuring findings translate into measurable improvements. Build a culture where staff voice is central, ensuring feedback loops are embedded and acted upon. Learning & Development Strategy and Delivery Plan (Workforce Capability & Growth) Lead the creation of a multiyear E&F Learning & Development Strategy that supports technical competence, leadership development, and career progression across all staff groups. Work with L&D teams to design bespoke training pathways for engineering, facilities, and operational roles, including apprenticeships, accredited qualifications, and professional registration routes. Oversee the development of a directoratewide talent pipeline, including early careers programmes, succession planning, and leadership development for supervisors and managers. Ensure the directorate has a clear, accessible career architecture that supports internal mobility and longterm retention. Commission external training providers, professional bodies, and industry partners to enhance the development offer. Monitor compliance, quality, and impact of training programmes, ensuring investment in development delivers measurable workforce benefits. Lead initiatives that support digital skills, modernisation, and futureproofing of the E&F workforce. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (Inclusive Workforce Leadership) Lead the development and implementation of a directoratespecific DEI strategy that addresses representation, experience, and equity across all E&F staff groups. Ensure inclusive practices are embedded in recruitment, development, progression, and retention processes. Work closely with staff networks, HR, and OD to address inequalities and improve outcomes for underrepresented groups. Provide senior leadership on antiracism, inclusive leadership, and equitable access to development opportunities. Commission and oversee DEI audits, ensuring findings translate into meaningful cultural and structural change. Ensure E&F leaders are equipped with the skills and confidence to lead diverse teams and foster inclusive environments. Monitor DEI metrics and report progress to senior leadership, ensuring transparency and accountability. Wellbeing Scheme Leadership (Holistic Workforce Wellbeing) Lead the design and delivery of a comprehensive wellbeing strategy tailored to the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of E&F staff. Ensure wellbeing initiatives are accessible to shiftbased, mobile, and operational staff who may not engage with traditional wellbeing offers. Work with Health & Wellbeing teams to develop targeted interventions addressing stress, fatigue, workload, and workplace safety. Champion a culture of psychological safety, ensuring managers are trained to support staff wellbeing and respond to concerns effectively. Oversee the development of wellbeing champions, peer support networks, and local wellbeing hubs. Evaluate the impact of wellbeing initiatives and ensure continuous improvement based on staff feedback and best practice. Ensure wellbeing is embedded into leadership behaviours, team practices, and operational decisionmaking. Culture Development (DirectorateWide Cultural Transformation) Lead cultural transformation programmes that strengthen engagement, collaboration, and valuesbased leadership across the E&F Directorate. Develop and deliver a Culture Improvement Plan that addresses leadership behaviours, communication, team dynamics, and staff experience. Facilitate directoratewide engagement activities, including listening events, staff forums, and culture workshops. Support leaders to build compassionate, inclusive, and highperforming teams through coaching, development, and targeted interventions. Lead initiatives that enhance recognition, belonging, and pride in the E&F workforce. Ensure cultural improvements are measurable, sustainable, and aligned with Trustwide values and behaviours. Act as a visible and influential champion for positive culture, modelling the behaviours expected across the directorate. Line management 2 WTE leads. Line manages Sustainability manager Line manages Employee Experience Partner/lead